16th and 17th Century policing Flashcards
What century were JP’s used?
16th and 17th century (1500 and 1600s)
What type of people were usually appointed to be JP’s?
Wealthy landowners
What were JP’s able to do before 1554?
Arrest someone only on definite charges
What could JP’s do after 1554?
Arrest someone on suspicion of a crime, interrogate them for 3 days and then commit them for trial
How many JP’s were there per county?
Usually 20
Why did JP’s do the job without pay?
To show their importance, liked the authority
What type of offences could be judged in a JP’s home, with examples of the offences?
Low level offences such as drunkenness or fighting
Where were more serious offences judged by JP’s?
Petty sessions and Quarter sessions
What were Petty sessions?
Where two or three JP’s met to discuss offences
What were Quarter sessions?
When all of the JP’s in a county met four times per year
What could JP’s do at Petty and Quarter sessions?
Fine, send people to the pillory or stocks and send someone to be whipped
What could JP’s do only at Quarter Sessions?
Sentence someone to death
How many laws were JP’s responsible for enforcing?
309
What made JP’s effective?
They worked at a time where people lived in villages, so the system worked
What made a JP’s less effective?
They had a lot of non-policing duties, such as organising local football games, road and bridge repair etc. Many became corrupt and would accept bribes from criminals
Why were Constables effective?
They helped JP’s
How many men from each village or town were asked to be Constables?
Two
How long did a man have to be a Constable?
One year
What were the roles of Constables?
Dealt with public complaints, begging and licensing; inflicting punishments such as whipping, ducking and putting people in stocks; catch wrongdoers, and informing the courts via report of public behaviour eg unmended walls and people not going to church
They had to ensure suspects were held in prison until their trial
What did some richer Constables do?
Paid others to do their constable duties for them
What made constables less effective?
They didn’t want to do the job as they didn’t like informing on their neighbours etc. This made them unpopular. They couldn’t do the job properly as they also had to do their income bringing job, meaning constable duties were less important to them
Why were watchmen called ‘Charlie’s?’
They were appointed by King Charles
Why were watchmen important?
They were the first paid position and first night time police
When did London start to employ Charlies?
1663
What was the role of a watchman?
Walked the streets carrying a bell, lantern, rattle and a staff. They called out the time and watched for suspicious behaviour.
What was a popular sport in London?
Baiting Charlies
Why were watchmen usually old men?
The only people who wanted to do the job due to the low wage
Why were Charlies ineffective?
They often fell asleep or were drunk. Many sat in the same place instead of walking the streets. Some were too feeble to stop criminals
What does ‘JP’ stand for?
Justice of the Peace
